Jesus Standing
Why was he stood?
AN AUGUST QUESTION forsooth.
Why was Jesus standing up in Acts 7:55,56 KJV ? As it reads “But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man STANDING on the right had of God.”
It’s interesting to this writer because Acts 7:55,56 is seemingly juxtaposed to Mark 14:62’s “And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man SITTING on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.”
So this whole ‘sitting and standing’ thing can be a little confusing at first.
PUNCTUATION DEAR STUDENT
To quickly put a quietus on this confusion before answering the the main question, we need to pay attention to the punctuation in the above quoted verse from Mark. Note the comma separating the word “power” and the word “and” in the verse.
That comma is separating two separate EVENTS. He was sitting, but got up to attend to something. Do you see that? He was sat down next to God the Father, perhaps talking, then, WAMMO! He stands up… This writer believes there was intent when he stood.
STEPHEN SEES THE SAVIOUR STANDING
Why is Jesus standing when Stephen saw him? This writer is sure that saints over the last 2000 odd years have asked this exact same question. Maybe you have too.
The answer is simple. He’s standing because…he’s not sitting (a gentle grin as appeared on the writers’ face)
But that’s not quite what the Body wants to hear, so…
This writer believes that Jesus was standing due to his plan to ready “…the armies [which were] in heaven” so that he “…should smite the nations:” (Revelation 19:14-15 KJV)
There is a question that comes in this writers’ mind though; if Stephen saw Jesus standing up in the 1st century, and he did according to the scripture, there is a substantial amount of time that doesn’t make sense as to why Jesus stood up so early. At very least 2007 years too early, which also does not take the gap of Daniel 9:25 KJV into account either.
So how does God’s word answer this for us?
GOD’S PERCEPTION OF TIME
Could it be that 2 Peter 3:8 KJV sheds some light? “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day [is] with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” Could it be that Daniels 70th week (a seven year period) to the Lord Jesus was mere hours in his view and he was readying himself? Maybe.
Secondly, we now have the 2000 year odd time period to take into consideration. Based off the above verse, our Saviour could have looked out and seen this current dispensation of Grace as two days out and was getting ready to address his armies. Something to consider.
Question is how long will the dispensation of Grace go on for?
Thirdly, the gap in Daniel 9:25 just how long is that going to go on for remembering that the ‘mystery’ interrupts the gap too?
To this writer it appears that God in his wisdom knows what he is doing and Romans 11:33-36 KJV immediately comes to mind and that’s a great place to rest this question at
.
It’s certainly an august question indeed.
Grace and peace,
Karl R. Coates